The All Things Political Topic - SNAFU edition

[Malcador]

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-maria-corina-machado-weekend-interview/

The privatization will be good for US corpos.  Smedley would be proud.

[BruceVC]

14 hours ago, rjshae said:

Yes, the public already knows he's a sleezy philanderer, yet they elected him anyway. The only possible additional harm is an association with the underage sex activity. He already gets heavily criticized, so I'm not sure that's the concern. I do think he's worried this might cost him his base (and thus his Congressional power).

Yes but the Epstein scandal is different, its a  much greater type of crime and degeneracy. This is not like Trump  having affairs 

Some  people in MAGA already believe in conspiracy theories that "pedo and Satanic " circles have influence in government so the whole Epstein story aligns with this 

Trump would be aware of the damaging optics specifically around this story if it becomes public he knew about the underage sex and didnt say anything about it 

This is about loss of support from parts of his base, its not because of the people who already dont like him and dont vote for him 

 

 

[BruceVC]

4 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-maria-corina-machado-weekend-interview/

The privatization will be good for US corpos.  Smedley would be proud.

This interview is a few weeks old  and I watched parts of it when it was live and its still relevant 

I agree with basically everything she is saying around the illegitimate reality of Maduros government and how he ignored the results of the last election

She is the type of candidate that would be ideal for regime change because she has real domestic support within Venezuela  

And once Maduro is gone the country would need economic support from the likes of the US and the region 

It would be like Syria now that Assad is gone, small but steady steps to support the new leadership. But it takes time and effort  to reverse the damage done from a  failed state 

[Zoraptor]

Poor old Juan Guaido. A standing ovation in the the US Congress one day, off to the scrapyard of history the next. Someone must have finally pointed out his resemblance to a certain former President to Trump.

Still, I guess at least neither he nor Machado were deputy to ISIS' first caliph Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, which puts them one up on Al Jolani. That obviously stood her in good stead with the Nobel Committee.

[Malcador]

12 hours ago, BruceVC said:

And once Maduro is gone the country would need economic support from the likes of the US and the region 

Heh, yes, support is a good marketing term for it.  Wonder how clean it would go though, she doesn't have the backing of everyone.

Maduro should have been proactive and get as many AShMs from China and Russia as possible.

Edited Monday at 07:48 PM by Malcador

[BruceVC]

10 hours ago, Malcador said:

Heh, yes, support is a good marketing term for it.  Wonder how clean it would go though, she doesn't have the backing of everyone.

Maduro should have been proactive and get as many AShMs from China and Russia as possible.

Yes lets say she becomes the next president, this would be temporary until Venezuela  can have a election. But Maduro obviously has his supporters and he controls the security forces which are also beneficiaries of his corrupt regime so it wont be a smooth transition but Im talking about a return to the principles of democratic rule and the freedoms that come with that. And support really means ending sanctions, providing loans and then investment cant be forced. It will happen organically when investors believe the new regime can be trusted 

I also think getting Venezuela stable again will be much easier than  Syria for several reasons 

Do you believe that Maduro should stay on in power at all costs, how would getting missiles and more military resources from China or Russia  help the people of Venezuela?

 

 

11 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

 

Still, I guess at least neither he nor Machado were deputy to ISIS' first caliph Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, which puts them one up on Al Jolani. That obviously stood her in good stead with the Nobel Committee.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/5/everything-you-need-to-know-about-syrias-first-post-assad-elections

Have you looked at who sits on the Syria Supreme Council which was appointed by al-Sharaa and this council decided on 2/3 of the Peoples Assembly in the last Syrian election?

There are women, Kurds, journalists and SJ activists but mostly moderates. They cant be further away from ISIS if you tried and as I mentioned they were appointed by al-Sharaa

We should try to move away from this outdated criticism of al-Sharaa being " an Islamic extremist ", he is clearly not that anymore and understands Syria needs international support to rebuild and he is making the right decisions around Syria's transition to Democracy as much as reasonably possible 

That criticism is more from people butthurt that Assads regime collapsed and its because he was anti-Western and a Russian and Iranian proxy

You too logical and analytical to believe  that type of assessment. Lets focus on supporting the new Syrian regime and hope the country can rebuild 

 

 

[Zoraptor]

Ah yes, the democratic elections where 1 in every 3000 people got to cast a vote. Every one of them, selected by al Jolani's hand picked committee, as were the candidates they could vote for. Makes you wonder why he bothered only directly appointing 1/3 of them really.

I don't really need to say much except the guys that al Jolani 'accidentally' sent off to genocide alawites on the coast a few months ago? You know, when the western media buried their heads in the sand because al Jolani changed his name and is a Good Guy now? Hamza division? Sanctioned by the US for genocide against kurds? One of their fricking leader is on it (M. Ali M. Yassin). 

So is at least one other 'ex' al qaeda guy, and another who was associated with the genocidal turkish proxies, and at least three other turkish stooges. A couple of liberal sops there so the cheerleaders aren't too embarrassed, but they're Quislings.

[BruceVC]

1 hour ago, Zoraptor said:

Ah yes, the democratic elections where 1 in every 3000 people got to cast a vote. Every one of them, selected by al Jolani's hand picked committee, as were the candidates they could vote for. Makes you wonder why he bothered only directly appointing 1/3 of them really.

I don't really need to say much except the guys that al Jolani 'accidentally' sent off to genocide alawites on the coast a few months ago? You know, when the western media buried their heads in the sand because al Jolani changed his name and is a Good Guy now? Hamza division? Sanctioned by the US for genocide against kurds? One of their fricking leader is on it (M. Ali M. Yassin). 

So is at least one other 'ex' al qaeda guy, and another who was associated with the genocidal turkish proxies, and at least three other turkish stooges. A couple of liberal sops there so the cheerleaders aren't too embarrassed, but they're Quislings.

And I would expect these types of teething problems and sectarian flareups considering the years of war, sectarian violence and the overall failed state of Syria

Like I mentioned no failed state that was an autocracy for decades can suddenly transition to a more Democratic  system without real hurdles 

But the real question around the success of this transition and societal change is " is the new leadership committed to this change and will they get supported by the West " which typically ends up being the main donors of aid and they  get involved in sustainable and meaningful investment. But in Syria's  case they also getting support from most of the stable and wealthy ME countries now that Assad is gone 

And so far al-Sharaa is making the right moves and signals. He is reaching out to everyone including Russia and China so he isnt burning any bridges 

So Im cautiously optimistic and I dont consider him an Islamic extremist anymore 

 

[HoonDing]

There are no good guys in the Middle East. Well, actually the entire East. And the West. But there might still be some in the South and North.

[Gorth]

How can you not love Bernie Sanders?  

 

ok, so I’m a bit biased. Still worth a listen

 

[BruceVC]

15 hours ago, Gorth said:

How can you not love Bernie Sanders?  

 

ok, so I’m a bit biased. Still worth a listen

 

I dont dislike him on a personal level because I believe he means well. Its his progressive left political views I dont support but I do like him 

Here is a  hilarious Sacha Cohen interview with Sanders where he was playing one of his alts, a guy called Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr who is MAGA conspiracy theorist who always believes in the " truth". Watch from 1:32 

 

 

[BruceVC]

The full Epstein files will be released finally, well done to Massie and other GOP representatives for getting the vote to the House 

Its good that Trump is fully supporting this full release but he also had no real choice

 

I doubt he is going to be implicated in anything but other prominent and wealthy elites will be named and of course that also wont automatically mean they were involved in underage sex but just getting your name mentioned is bad enough because of  how toxic any proximity to Epstein has become 

Larry Summers for example has publicly apologized and stepped back from public responsibilities and he just had email exchanges with Epstein after the scandal initially broke 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddr199d3z0o 

But its good news, we can review the full Epstein files and then bury the conspiracy theories and prosecute those that were  involved in any sexual crimes

[Malcador]

On 11/18/2025 at 1:40 AM, BruceVC said:

Do you believe that Maduro should stay on in power at all costs, how would getting missiles and more military resources from China or Russia  help the people of Venezuela

It might sting the Americans a bit, always good to see them get so when they go to war with people that can't possibly resist.  

Won't be an Iraq level screw up though, at least.

 

 

[BruceVC]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/thomas-massie-trump-jeffrey-epstein-00654214?nid=0000018f-3124-de07-a98f-3be4d1400000&nname=politico-toplines&nrid=81406e35-5743-4c79-8a1f-03aae6892d3d

Here is a really interesting summary of how Massie was able to get the vote around releasing the Epstein files to the House 

You can see the efforts how Trump tried to block it and how he failed 

Its been a fascinating and reassuring period for me this public pressure to release the full files and how Trump eventually acquiesced

Its a win for Democracy and how citizen activism can get government to change course when initially they clearly didn't want to

This would never have happened in autocracies like Russia or China where the states decisions are final and citizens have no way to influence or change that decision

 

[rjshae]

8 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/thomas-massie-trump-jeffrey-epstein-00654214?nid=0000018f-3124-de07-a98f-3be4d1400000&nname=politico-toplines&nrid=81406e35-5743-4c79-8a1f-03aae6892d3d

Here is a really interesting summary of how Massie was able to get the vote around releasing the Epstein files to the House 

You can see the efforts how Trump tried to block it and how he failed 

Its been a fascinating and reassuring period for me this public pressure to release the full files and how Trump eventually acquiesced

Its a win for Democracy and how citizen activism can get government to change course when initially they clearly didn't want to

This would never have happened in autocracies like Russia or China where the states decisions are final and citizens have no way to influence or change that decision

Note that the released documents will be redacted over the privacy concerns of the victims... supposedly. Even if DJT signs the bill, the documents will then (conveniently) need to be reviewed (slowly?) by the DOJ. Who knows how long that will take? We may never get the full truth, at least not for a few decades.

[Malcador]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/18/politics/khashoggi-murder-trump-bin-saudi-crown-prince

 I shouldn't laugh, Canada is off to suck up to the UAE, Sudanese people will appreciate dying from C7 rifles I suppose.

[BruceVC]

18 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/18/politics/khashoggi-murder-trump-bin-saudi-crown-prince

 I shouldn't laugh, Canada is off to suck up to the UAE, Sudanese people will appreciate dying from C7 rifles I suppose.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-announces-us-making-new-effort-end-war/story?id=127683382

Im more interested in how the Saudis have asked the US to get involved in Sudan around a peace solution. And we were just talking about Sudan and the intractable nature of the war 

Trump has agreed to this, its annoying and frustrating  for me when this happens but I accept the most important point is the war in Sudan ending and it doesn't matter who ends it 

But what is frustrating is the complete failure of the AU to deal with African problems and how the UNSC is limited when someone vetoes a resolution like Russia did last year around Sudan

I accept this is by design  of the UN but you end up with inertia and paralysis if  the UNSC doesn't agree on a resolution and then nothing happens

Unless you get this example , the US is only getting involved because Saudi Arabia asked them. And once Trump is gone you wont see other US presidents being so responsive 

But we shouldnt be  relying on the US or Trump to get involved in African conflicts to find a solution  

Saying all that as I mentioned the most thing consideration  is this war ending, so Im " complaining " but I support the effort the US will be making 

Edited Thursday at 11:14 AM by BruceVC

[rjshae]

23 hours ago, rjshae said:

Note that the released documents will be redacted over the privacy concerns of the victims... supposedly. Even if DJT signs the bill, the documents will then (conveniently) need to be reviewed (slowly?) by the DOJ. Who knows how long that will take? We may never get the full truth, at least not for a few decades.

Turns out a subset of documents will be released within a month, but not anything related to an ongoing investigation, documents/images that reveal victims, and certain other particularly gross materials. The first, of course, is what many people actually want to see. So... maybe we'll see a few interesting details, but nothing too incriminating. Will any of this stuff actually make it to trial during this administration? I remain skeptical. But whatever.

[rjshae]

Today in stupid:

Without evidence, CDC changes messaging on vaccines and autism

Quote

On Wednesday, the CDC reversed its long-held position that there's no link between vaccines and autism. "This is the day CDC died," a former agency official said.

Hmm, it seems like they need a rebrand to go along with their turn to superstition. Committee for Delusional Communication? Center for Demented Cruft?

[ShadySands]

Colorado attorney general, Mesa County prosecutor urge Gov. Polis not to transfer Tina Peters

Quote

“Put simply, Ms. Peters is in prison today due to the crimes she committed that put Mesa’s election systems at risk and violated the public’s trust, and for no other reason,” Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein and Attorney General Phil Weiser told Polis in a joint letter that also called the transfer request “a transparent attempt to bypass the president’s inability to pardon Ms. Peters or commute her sentence.”

The letter comes a week after the Federal Bureau of Prisons asked the state Department of Corrections to transfer Peters into federal custody. Peters, who was sentenced to nine years’ incarceration last year, has repeatedly been defended by President Donald Trump, who has called for her release.

The president cannot pardon Peters, who embraced his baseless election conspiracies, because she was charged and convicted in state — not federal — court.

 

 

[Bartimaeus]

Marjorie Taylor Greene announced her resignation come January. Years of trolling and fighting the left, but only lasted about a week against the MAGA death cult threatening her for her "betrayal"...what a pity.

[rjshae]

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

Marjorie Taylor Greene announced her resignation come January. Years of trolling and fighting the left, but only lasted about a week against the MAGA death cult threatening her for her "betrayal"...what a pity.

The "rational mode" she's been assuming of late made me wonder if she was planning to run for a different office. Perhaps the Senate or governor? But the first seems unlikely since the current office holders are in place until 2027, and Kemp seems pretty safe for the moment. She does seem like an ambitious woman, so I wouldn't be surprised to see her in D.C. again at some point. Meanwhile she can run point on the Jewish space laser conspiracies.

[Malcador]

MTG will be the first female President.

[rjshae]

20 minutes ago, Malcador said:

MTG will be the first female President.

At one time that would have been laughable. But in these interesting times, it almost seems plausible. Make America Greene Again...

[BruceVC]

I watched most of the press conference  between Trump and Mamdani and it was nothing like many people expected. I suppose by now we should be use to what people say on the campaign trail is not what they really believe

Or rather people become more pragmatic if they want to succeed in US politics

But even I was surprised how cordial and complementary both Trump and Mamdani were to each other, Trump really took a liking to him and it was obvious

And its because they had this meeting before the press conference where Mamdani explained to Trump his vision and focus for NY and this vision is what Trump also agrees with for NY. Mamdani is very intelligent and articulate and he knew exactly how to engage with Trump so as to not upset him

But basically Mamdani and Trump ignored all the sensationalism and SM rhetoric that was part of the NY mayoral race and just focused on what they agree on which was in summary
 

• crime needs to addressed in NY
• more low cost housing needs to be built
• NY needs to become more affordable for everyone

Both of them skillfully side stepped or diplomatically answered certain controversial or divisive questions from some in the media that included
 

• To Mamdani : Do you think Trump is a fascist\dictator : Answer : From Trump " i have been called worse things, I dont care "
• To Mamdani : Are you going to cut the police force and replace them with social workers : Answer : No, the police will not be cut
• To Mamdani : Are you going to tax white areas more : Answer : We going to build new housing and focus on making NY affordable
• To Mamdani: Do think the US is guilty of supporting genocide in the Gaza : Answer : Human rights must always be respected
• To Trump : Would you live in NY under Mamdani : Answer: Yes, after this meeting I think he can do a great job to fix NY
• To Trump : Are you going to cut Federal funding to NY : Answer : No, we will be supporting NY because I support what Mamdani wants to achieve

As I mentioned I have never seen Trump so friendly towards someone who he had been so opposed to

But thats because Trump end of the day is pragmatic around what NY needs and Mamdani and him are aligned on what that is

It was a good conference and I would encourage everyone to watch it to understand the art of diplomacy and how people with different political views can and do get on when its about a common good